Antiquarian Auctions

Auction #114 begins on 11 Apr 2024

Baines, Thomas, author and artist ; M A Baines (Thomas's father), preface

Explorations in South-West Africa. Being an account of a journey in the years 1861 and 1862 from Walvish Bay . . .

. . . on the western coast to Lake Ngami and the Victoria Falls to the east

Published: Longman, Green, Longman, Roberts & Green, London, 1864

Edition: First

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This is a finely rebound near-perfect copy of the first edition. 

PAGINATION ANOMALY. Thomas Baines was gravely ill before and after his return from South West Africa and the manuscript which reached his publishers (Longmans) and printers (Spottiswood) was unknowingly incomplete, and the text and index pages were numbered xiv + 535 pp. However, in his preface (reproduced in the images), M A Baines, Thomas's father, explains that another batch of manuscript was subsequently found. As it was too late to repaginate the whole book, this additional material was inserted in its correct chronological position, as Chapter XV, and paginated [390] - [457], thus increasing the total number of pages to 602. The index was reprinted and dealt with the anomaly by giving Chapter XV page references inside square brackets ([]).

Thomas recovered and published and painted more (including the now scarce and very valuable Portfolio of Victoria Falls, painted on the journey described in this book and published a year later), before dying in Durban in 1875. A copy of his last, posthumous, book, The Gold Regions of Southern Africa (1877), is included in this auction. [See Lot 377.] 

DESCRIPTION. Half-bound in royal-blue morocco with blue buckram sides, gilt rules at the joins, 5 raised bands decorated in gilt, gilt decorations in pockets 1, 3, 5 and 6, the title in gilt on a red panel in pocket 2, and "BAINES" in gilt in pocket 4; blue-and-white head- and tail-bands, all page-edges gilt; hand-marbled endpapers, with red and blue the dominant colours; a chromolithographic reproduction of Baines's original "Regiment of Flamingoes - Swakop River", lithograpahed by Hanhart, is used as the frontispiece. [In England, Baines was better known as an artist than as an explorer.] The pagination is as described above plus 3 inserted folding maps plus 34 wood engravings by G Pearson from the author's original sketches, 7 of them as inserted plates and the other 27 printed in the text.

CONDITION. The copy is complete, unmarked, clean and fine throughout, with the boards unmarked and the gilding bright. We have two small reservations: (1) the spine is lightly sunned to a greyer blue; and (2) the verso of the front free endpaper and the next 2 leaves are very lightly foxed.

  • Binding Condition: Fine
  • Overall Condition: Fine
  • Size: 225 x 150 x 50; 1.2 kg
  • Sold By: Fontein Books
  • Contact Person: Richard Proctor-Sims
  • Country: South Africa
  • Email: [email protected]
  • Telephone: 051 773 0050/048 079 546 4032
  • Preferred Payment Methods: Eft (South Africa), SWIFT (rest of world), or $ checks for US or Australian buyers
  • Trade Associations: AA Approved


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